My (opinionative) take on the Cold war.

Firstly, Yes its bad for professional boxing. .. And no Floyd/Pac Replies. Reason of this discussion is to address issues within TopRank/HBO and identify probable cause for the fall out in the first place, only then would we be able to understand what it would take to see GBP work with TopRank. Networks #cuase1 HBO dropping GoldenBoy's whole Stable This right here is when I believe the cold war really started. This action is clear "HBO now wanted GoldenBoy to fail" maybe even dissolve because their fighter wont get exposure. HBO viewed its competitor as not a threat which was a big mistake, It should never have banned Goldenboy, and now GoldenBoy was forced to strengthen their alliances/relationships with Showtime which are now committed. Making Showtime now a formidable threat doing higher PPV numbers then they are. Its clear that HBO PPV revenue has fallen as a result. Another thing HBO refusing to air certain fighters even in the TopRank stable, which is whole different argument all together. HBO is only sport network I know where commentators are allowed to be biased which needs to stop. Some could argue HBO brought on the war, but this just part of it Promotions are also a cause ... Promotions The most obvious #cuase2 is they are competitors, they need to sign the best talent in order to keep going. Arum has been in the game for longest, veteran in the sport and would look at his company TopRank as most prestige over others. We have to agree TopRank was like the "HBO to the other networks" almost having the monopoly of PPV events. ... However times have certainly changed and Arum's Stable is not much how it used to be i.e loosing out on signing prospects and current fighters taking losses. e.g Mayfield, Donaire ect. Arum is used to the bigger share of the pie in co-promotions. I can blindly bet that TopRank co-promoted events have always been the A-side. #cuase3 As times have changed GoldenBoy stock, stable and relations have risen and no longer see themselves as B-side. "Rightly so" some say, as they hold both records for most PPV buys. Negotiations with TopRank would always today leave a sour taste in Arums mouth. e.g Mares vs Donaire. Relationships Schaefer & Oscar & Haymon have great relationships with their fighters, most fighters always have nothing but good things to say about them. Arum also has good feedback from his fighters, but also has a lot of negative feedback. A lot of fighters are unhappy with the clarity of their purses or contracts, and sometimes forced to extend. And now, Venues have joined in (MGM). Evidently Arum's frustrating Rants and smear campaigns "signs of things not going well at TopRank." Arums fighters normally get most Exposure from HBO but recently European promoters/smaller promotions have benefited from the cold war getting more SHO/HBO exposure as TopRank gets less and less. HBO have turned down Arums fight proposals numerous times, SHO embracing proposals, undercards and exposure for GoldenBoy. If you was a prospect which company would you sign for? Management I believe TopRank needs new management. Younger CEO that can adapt to today's times. Hold good relationships, to be fair to its fighters and competitors to bring the fights we want to see. To be able to understand the needs of fight fans of today. UFC was making big noise because of "stacked Undercards" as Management there knew like WWE it should be entertaining event till start to finish. In conclusion, in order for the cold war to end, negotiations as it looks like today would be Oscar conceding to A-side Arum, or maybe Arum could also consider co-promoting equal split. Negotiations go beyond the split though so each side would need to make concessions "give a little to get a little". Arum would need to tone down his abrasive/abusive attitude and be professional and stop running smear campaigns like his running for president. Most importantly HBO & SHO would need to lift the bans on promoters and not show favoritism to a certain promotional company. I hope I didn't sway from my own topic too much as I'm writing of the top of my head, but of course you don't have to agree, these are my opinions. Whats yours? ...